photo credit received 11/19/14 Science and New Age Link: http://www.scienceandnewage.com/inner-peace/
Ask some to define success and they might reference their finances, house or career. They might say they’re blessed because the family is well and doing okay. What if all of a sudden everything was lost? The house gets foreclosed on, the car repossessed, there is no job to go to, and the money runs out? Would a person who loses everything still be considered blessed?
There is nothing wrong with material wealth. Truth be told, we all have at one time been addicted to a label or two … And there’s nothing wrong with that. But society has fostered a culture of greed and “success” so much so that we are all defined by what we do not have. We are now “who we wear” instead of “who we are”.
photo credit received 11/19/14 Police Link Link: http://policelink.monster.com/topics/88334-bible-verse-of-the-day-job-2310-11/posts
There was a man in the bible days named Job. Job was a man that loved God. He was righteous and rich, notably in attributes, but he also had acquired inordinate material wealth. He was stripped down to his skin and lost everything to see whether or not he was who he portrayed he was. Despite the extremity of the situation, Job passed the test. He never cursed God and in the end, his wealth was restored far beyond what he originally had. The entire time of his trials he did not faltered in character, he never changed his story and he proved that he could withstand horrible situations and not sway with the wind. How many of us can say that we have even a tad of what he had?
At some point in life you have to part with material things, whether by choice or by force. Are you so attached to your possessions that you feel you’ll be worthless without them? Will those you’ve surrounded yourself with think less of you without all that you have? Does the ‘respect’ that you have gained sit on the shaky foundation of stuff? Do you possess your possessions or do they possess you?
Let your substance and good character precede you. When others speak of you let it be about who you are at heart. They should be able to smile when thinking about what your spirit brings. Look at it like this; if tomorrow you are no longer with us, what memory will others be left with?
That’s definitely something to think about.
Written by Joyanne Lawrence
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